Electric signal



N0. 6l7,540. Patented Jan. m, I899; C. A. PARRISH.

ELECTRIC SIGNAL.

(Application filed Aug. 4, 1897.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. PARRISII, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

ELECTRIC SIG NAL.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 617,540, dated January 10, 1899 Application filed August 4,1897.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. PARRISH, a citizen of the United States, residing at J ackson, in the county of Jackson, State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Electric Signal, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for electric signaling,designed particularly for steamrailways, but capable also of application to electric railways, and consisting, in part, in improvements upon the invention patented to me October 27, 1896, by Letters Patent No. 570,046.

The object of my present invention is to simplify the construction, reduce the cost, and improve the efficiency of the apparatus; and it consists in the novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of the parts, as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents, diagrammatically, in elevation my improved apparatus complete in the normal or open-cin cuit position ready to be set in operation by the approach of a railway car or train. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the circuit breaking track instruments. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is averticalsection'through the rail and end elevation of one of the circuit-breaking track instruments shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail of the conducting-plate and support shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 6 is a detail showing more clearly the construction and operation of the terminal contacts 24 25 and the circuit-closing lever20 and its contact-piece 23.

The primary purpose for which my improved apparatus is designed is that of a crossing-signal for railways; and it isillustrated in the drawings as applied to such use but it is obvious that it is equally applicable to other uses, such as station-alarms, switchalarms, &c., and is not limited to use at crossings only.

Referring to the drawings, 1 2 3 4 5 represent what in the art of railway-signaling are called track instruments, that being a generic term for devices which are placed in proximity to the track, and are intended when touched by the train or some part thereof to set in action'other instrumentalities which Serial No. 647,139. (No model.)

cause a signal or alarm to be given at a distant point or to be suppressed. Instruments 1, 3, and 5 are alike and are each composed of a bar 7, supported by springs 8 in proximity to, but preferably not in contact with, one of the rails 9 of the track and at a slightly-higher level, as seen in Fig. 4. Attached firmly to the bar 7, but electrically insulated therefrom,

while the corresponding bar of instruments 1 3 5 may or may not be so. It will thus be seen that if the contacts 12.13 are connected to an electric circuit the circuit will be nor-' mally closed through said contacts and the plate 11, but will be broken when a car-wheel passes over bar 7 and depresses it to a level with the top of rail 9, being restored again by the action of springs 8 as soon as the wheel has passed 011? bar 7. For thisreason the instruments 1 3 5 are designated as circuitbreaking instruments.

When a car-wheel passes over one of the instruments 2 4, it makes a conducting contact between the rail and bar 7 of the instrument, and for this reason instruments 2 4 are designated as circuit-closing instruments.

The disposition of the various instruments is as follows: Instrument 3 is located at or in convenient proximity to the crossing where the signal or alarm is to'be given. At a suitable distancein each direction from the crossing (say one-half mile or so) is located one of the circuit-breaking instruments 1 5, and near to each, but toward the crossing therefrom, is located one of the circuit-closing instruments 2 4, these being preferably spaced at a distance from the neighboring instrument 1 or 5 equal to the distance between the wheels of a car or truck. At or conveniently near the crossing is located a signal or alarm indicated in Fig. l by the bell 14. A battery 15 or other source of electrical current and a relay instrument 16 are located at convenient points, preferably at or near the crossing. The relay instrument comprises the electromagnetic bobbins 17 an armature 18, pivoted at 19 in such manner as to normally rest out of contact with the poles of magnets 17, a contact-lever 20, pivoted at 21 and pivotally connected bya bar 22 to armature 18, and a contact 23 on lever 20, which is adapted to engage and make electric connection between fixed contact-terminals 24 25, which are insulated from each other, as shown in Fig. 6. The lever 20 is so adjusted as to be normally held by gravity out of contact with terminals 24 25, and an adjustable stop 26 is preferably arranged to limit the play of armature 18 or lever 20 to keep the armature within coactive relation with the magnet 17.

The electrical connections are made as follows: The battery is connected by a wire 27 to the rail 9, forming What is called a ground. The contacts 13 of instruments 1 and 5 are connected bya wire 28, the contacts 12 of instruments 1 and 3 are connected by a wire 29, contact 12 of instrument 5 is connected by a wire 30 to one terminal of the magnet-coils 17, and the other terminal of the magnet-coils is connected by a wire 31 to the opposite pole of the battery. The bell is connected on one side by a wire 32 to the armature 18 at pivot 19, and on the other by a wire 33 to the battery or, what is equivalent thereto, to one of the wires leading to the battery, such as 31. The contact-terminals 21 25 are connected, one to the battery, as by wire 34: tapping wire 27 and the other by wire 35 to contact 13 of instrument 3. The bar 7 of instrument 2 is connected to contact 12 of instrument 1 or to the connection between it and instrument 3, as by wire 36, and bar 7 of instrument 4; is connected to contact 13 of instrument 5, as by wire 37, each of the circuit-closers being connected to the farther (orouter) side of its adjacent circuitbreaker.

In the normal condition of the apparatus, as above described, it will be seen that all the circuits are open, being broken at the terminals 24 25, which are in the condition shown in Figs. land 6. As a train approaches from the right-hand side of Fig. 1, moving in the direction of the arrowthat is, toward the crossing at which the track instrument 3 is located-the car-wheels first reach and depress the bar 7 of instrument 5, breaking the contact between the conducting-plate 11 and the fixed contacts 12 and 13; but this produces no effect, because the circuit is already open at the terminals 24 25. But almost instantly after passing from instrument 5 the carwheels reach the bar 7 of instrument 4:, and on touching this bar the wheels make electrical connection between rail 9, on which the battery is grounded, and the bar 7 of instrument 4; but the circuit remains broken until the train has passed instrument 5, when the springs 8 will close the contact between plate 11 and contacts 12 and 13,while the car-wheels have not yet all passed instrument 4. The result is that the wheel which next passes over instrument 4 after 5 has closed will complete the circuit from battery 15 over wire 27, rail 9, the car-wheel, bar 7 of instrument 1, wire 37, contact 13, plate 11 and contact 12 of instrument 5, wire 30, magnets 17, and wire 31. back to the battery. The completing of this circuit energizes magnets 17 and causes them to draw the armature 18 into contact with their poles, which throws the lever 20, so as to force the contact-point 23 between and into contact with the terminals 21 25. This completes the bell-circuit, which runs from the battery 15 through wires 27 34, contact 25, point 23, lever 20, bar 22, armature 18, wire 32, through bell 14, and wires 33 31 back to the battery. The bell therefore rings and continues ringing until the circuit is again broken at the terminals 2 25 by the removal of point 23 from contact therewith,

which is effected as follows: \Vhen the contact-point 23 was, by the movement of armature 18, brought into contact with terminals 21 25, besides completing the circuit through the bell, as above described, it also completed a metalliccircuit from the battery 15 through wires 27 34., terminal 25, point 23, terminal 24:, wire 35, contact 13, plate 11, and contact 12 of instrument 3, wire 29, contact 12, plate 11, and contact 13 of instrument 1, wire 28, contact 13, plate 11, contact 12 of instrument 5, wire 30, magnets 17, and wire 31 back to the battery. This circuit will of course remain complete and the magnets energized, so as to keep the bell circuit intact until the train reaches instrument 3, when the depressing of its bar 7 will break this cir-' euit,the magnets will release armature 18,and the point 23 will break connection with terminals 24 25, thus breaking at once the circuit through the magnets and that through the bell, silencing the latter and leaving all circuits open as at first. As the train continues on it reaches instrument 2, making a momentary connection and circuit through instruments 1 and 5, which is, however, almost instantly broken again at instrument 1 and remains broken when the train has passed that instrument. A train approaching from the left will first depress the bar 7 of track instrument 1, producing no effect, and when it has passed the wheel which next touches bar 7 of instrument 2 will complete a circuit from battery 15 through wire 27, rail 9, the car-wheel, bar 7 of instrument 2, wires 36 29, contact 12, plate 11, and contact 13 of instrument 1, wire 28, contact 13, plate 11, contact 12 of instrument 5, wire 30, magnets 17 and wire 31 back to the battery, thus energizing the magnets and completing the bell-circuit before described and also the metallic circuit through instrument As the train proceeds the circuit will be broken at instrument 3 in the same way as before. What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an electric signal system for railways the combination with a source of electrical energy, an electrically operated signal, a track, a relay, and aseries of normally closed circuit-breaking instruments arranged in proximity to the track and adapted to be actuated by thepassage of the car to break the circuit connection, of a pair of normally open circuit-terminals adapted to be closed by the relay, a circuit in which the'signal, the armature, the source of electrical energy and one of said terminals are included, a groundcircuit in which the source of electrical energy, the relay magnet-coils, one of said circuit-breakers, the track, and a normally open circuit-closer arranged in proximity to the track and adapted to close circuit on the passage of the car included, and a third circuit in which the source of electrical energy, the magnet-coils, the series of circuit-breakers and the circuit-terminals are included, substantially as described.

2. An electrical signal apparatus for railways comprising in combination a source of electrical energy, an electric signal, a track, a relay, and normally open circuit-terminals adapted to be closed by the relay, of three normally closed circuit-breakers arranged in such proximity to the track as to be actuated by the passage of the car, two normally open circuit-closers adapted to close circuit on the passage of the car, one ofsaid circuit-closers being located between the central circuitbreaker and each of the other circuit-breakers, a signal-circuit in which the signal, the relay circuit-closer, the source of electric energy, and one of said circuit-terminals are included, a ground-circuit in which the source of electrical energy, the relay magnet-coils, the track or ground, one of said circuit-closers and one of the circuit-breakers are included, and a metallic circuit in which the source of energy, the relay magnet-coils, the circuit-' terminals and the three circuit-breakers are connected, substantially as described.

8. Inelectrical signal apparatus the track instrument comprising in combination a spring-supported bar arranged parallel with the track-rail and having its central portion vhigher and its ends lower than the rail-top,

a conducting-plate projecting laterally from said bar and insulated therefrom, separated contacts normally engaging the upperside of said conducting-plate, and circuit connections to said contacts, whereby the passage of a car-wheel over said bar will break the normally closed circuit between the contacts and said conducting-plate, substantially as described.

4. In electrical signal apparatus the track instrument comprising in combination a spring-supported bar arranged parallel with the track-rail and having its central portion higher and its ends lower than the rail-top, a conducting plate projecting laterally from said bar and insulated therefrom, separated spring-contacts normally engaging the upper side of said conducting-plate, and circuit connections to said contacts, whereby the passage of a car-wheel over said bar will break the normally closed circuit between the spring-contacts and said conducting-plate, substantially as described.

5. In electrical signal apparatus the combination with the track instruments, a relay, a circuit therefor, and a circuit through the track instruments and the relaymagnet which circuit has therein a pair of insulated terminals adapted to be closed by the relay,

of a signal-circuit including the signal and a source of electric energy and having for its terminals the relay-circuit-closing lever and one of said insulated terminals, wherebythe closing of said open terminals by the circuitclosing lever simultaneously completes the two separate circuits, substantially as described.

6. In electrical signal apparatus the combination of three circuits, viz: a closing-circuit including a source of electrical energy, the magnet-coils of a relay, the track or ground, a normally closed circuit-breaker, and a normally open circuit-closer; a metallic circuit including a source of electrical energy, a series of normally closed circuit-breakers, the magnet-coils, and a pair of normally open circuit-terminals adapted to be closed by the relay; and asignal-circuit including a source of electrical energy, a signal, one of said circuit-terminals and the circuit-closing part of the relay; substantially as described.

In testimony of the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES A. PARRISH.

\Vitn esses:

E. W. ABBOTT, ELEANOR A. CAREY. 

